Castle line sail from Southampton, where they call to
take up passengers and mails. Was this one of those alternate Saturdays?
I looked at the list of dates: it was. That told further in favour
of Southampton. But did any steamer of any passenger line sail from
Plymouth on the same day? None, that I could find. Or from Southampton
elsewhere? I looked them all up. The Royal Mail Company's boats start
on Wednesdays; the North German Lloyd's on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Those were the only likely vessels I could discover. Either, then, I
concluded, Hilda meant to sail on Saturday by the Castle line for
South Africa, or else on Sunday by North German Lloyd for some part of
America.

How I longed for one hour of Hilda to help me out with her almost
infallible instinct. I realised how feeble and fallacious was my own
groping in the dark. Her knowledge of temperament would have revealed to
her at once what I was trying to discover, like the police she despised,
by the clumsy "clues" which so roused her sarcasm.

However, I went to bed and slept on it. Next morning I determined to set
out for Southampton on a tour of inquiry to all the steamboat agencies.
If that failed, I could go on to Plymouth.

But, as chance would have it, the morning post brought me an unexpected
letter, which helped me not a little in unravelling the problem. It
was a crumpled letter, written on rather soiled paper, in an uneducated
hand, and it bore, like Hilda's, the Basingstoke postmark.

"Charlotte Churtwood sends her duty to Dr. Cumberledge," it said, with
somewhat uncertain spelling, "and I am very sorry that I was not able
to Post the letter to you in London, as the lady ast me, but after her
train ad left has I was stepping into mine the Ingine started and I was
knocked down and badly hurt and the lady gave me a half-sovering to
Post it in London has soon as I got there but bein unable to do so I
now return it dear sir not knowing the lady's name and adress she having
trusted me through seeing me on the platform, and perhaps you can send
it back to her, and was very sorry I could not Post it were she ast me,
but time bein an objeck put it in the box in Basingstoke station and now
inclose post office order for ten Shillings whitch dear sir kindly let
the young lady have from your obedient servant,

"CHARLOTTE CHURTWOOD."

In the corner was the address: "11, Chubb's Cottages, Basingstoke."

The happy accident of this letter advanced things